A Door Once Opened
by ToxThexMoonxAndxBack
Summary: Nelson tells Alex that she can go back to 1983, to Gene. Will she go back? If she does what will Gene think? Will he admit he's missed Alex as much as she's missed him?
1. Home

AN: first Ashes fic. Please review. I wrote this for a tumblr prompt I was sent. Thanks for reading xx

XxX

Alex sat in the railway arms, she was unaware on how long she'd been sat there, nursing the same glass of wine. It didn't taste right to her anyway. Nothing was right anymore. Going for a drink at the end of the day wasn't the same.

There was Ray, Chris and Shaz sat at a table in the corner. The young couple laughing at Ray as he tried to explain a joke to them. They were still here.

Nelson was pulling pints as always. He looked across at her for a moment to see if she was alright, on seeing she probably wasn't he walked over to her.

"You're troubled Alex?"

"Just a bit Nelson." She swallowed hard wondering what she was going to say to him. Sometimes you spend everyday hoping someone will ask if you're okay, but then you also hope they don't because you're too tired to explain.

"What wrong?" He stopped himself. "Is it Mister Hunt?"

She laughed slightly feeling a lump form in her throat. "You know when I first met him he was the most annoying infuriating person I had ever met...and now..."

"You miss him?"

"Is that strange?"

"Not at all. All of us do." He smiled for a moment before leaning against the bar. "You're waiting for him?"

"But he won't come. Not whilst there is still work to be done." She sighed. "And I can't go back to him..."

"Who's says you can't?"

"Huh?"

"A door once opened can be stepped through in either direction."

She furrowed her eyebrows in a confused expression.

"You've always been able to go back Alex, you and the others."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You don't need to be there anymore, but I can tell you want to be. And I'm sure Mister Hunt would want you there too."

"Do those three know?"

She looked over her shoulder at Chris, Ray and Shaz.

"Yeah. I told em."

"Then why haven't they mentioned it?"

"You've barely spoken to them Alex. They won't go without you and they won't stay if you don't. It's your choice."

"Do I go and find him? Do I go back? What do I do Nelson?"

"You can either spend your days in here as you have no desire to move on or you can go and see Hunt."

Alex ran a hand through her hair. She could go back? When she was shot and first woke up in 1981 she hated the place. Honestly she did. But now she'd do anything to go back.

She missed the way things were. She missed being driven around at high speeds and not being aloud to wear a seat belt. She missed trying to convince Gene she was right.

She missed being DI Drake.

She came to her decision, she had to go and see Gene. Even if he told her to go away because she needed to move on. She didn't care. He couldn't push her away. Not anymore.

She picked up her coat off the back of her chair. "Thanks Nelson."

She smiled before walking towards the door.

"Going somewhere Drake?"

Ray asked making her stop and turn.

"I'm going home." She told him.

"Oh yeah?" He raised an eyebrow. "He's told you then? That we could go back anytime?"

She nodded. "You guys don't have to come with me..."

"On contrary Ma'am... Alex... boss..." Chris stuttered never really knowing what to call Alex. "We want to come with ya."

She smiled. "I need to talk to him though first though."

They all nodded in unison. "We'll wait, Drake." Ray said. "Give you some time. But we're coming...when I've finished my drink."

She laughed slightly. "Thank you."

She turned back, putting her hand on the door handle taking a deep breath.


	2. Same old

An: please review thanks for reading

XxX

Gene sat in his office, his feet up on his desk, a cigarette dying in the ash tray and a whiskey glass in his hand. He was alone, the rest of his team had gone home for the night. Team, not really his team anymore. There was just a selection of officers who all looked and spoke alike. No Ray, no Chris and no Shaz. No Bolly, Alex. He missed all of them but her the most for obvious reasons.

He remembered the times she'd walk into his office late at night and remind him to go home. As much as he had pretended not to she was the person he cared about the most.

"Guv..."

He could almost hear her voice.

"Gene."

Looking up it was as though he'd seen a ghost. How much had he had to drink? Not enough for him to start imagining things surely?

No. She was really there. Black jeans, jumper and long coat that went to her knees. Same old Alex.

"What are you doing here, Alex?" His stoic voice could make people tremble but not her she didn't even flinch. "I thought I told you to go?"

"You did." She walked into his office shutting the door behind her leaning her back against it. "But when did I ever really listen to you."

He pressed his lips together before getting another glass and pouring her a drink. He got up from his desk and stood directly in front of her, putting the glass in her hand. "Nelson told you then?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Why did you come back?"

"I had to."

"Why?"

"You know why." She looked at the ground.

"Missed the Gene Genie did you bolly kecks?"

She laughed slightly, she missed being called Bolly. "Of cause I did."

"You'll make me blush Drake."

"Then you'll turn bright red when the others turn up." She sipped the whiskey slowly, it warmed the back of her throat. "How've you been?"

"Bored." He admitted. "Everyone is the same round here, all know squat about policing."

She tried not to smile, her front teeth cutting into her lip.

"What?" He questioned seeing her reaction.

"That was jut a very you thing to say."

"I still am me Bolls."

"Any new recruits yet?"

"No." He shook his head. "There was, but he left pretty sharpish."

"Have you been lonely, Hunt?" She raised an eyebrow.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Bit."

"The Manc Lion lonely."

"I missed you Bolls."

"Really?"

"Yes. I missed you annoying me everyday and driving me up the bloody wall."

She put her glass down on the filing cabinet. "Why did you make me leave when you knew I could come back?"

He sighed. "Because I had to Bolly, I had to give you the choice."

"You must've known I would comeback."

"Why would I have known that?"

She looked at him, her green eyes bright against her pale complexion. She didn't know what to say to him, but she didn't need to say anything.

He put his hand to her face. "I don't know what to say Bolly..."

"Say nothing." She put her hands on his chest and gently pressed her lips to his.


	3. We're a team

Gene was taken back for a moment but pulled himself together to be able to return Alex's kiss. He's missed her a lot, of cause he had. He missed everything about her. Without her he felt empty. God, what had this woman reduced him to?

She slowly pulled back. "I want to stay."

"I know." He replied. "I want you to stay too."

She gave him a small smile. He had had to give her the option of leaving. She couldn't blame him for that. He was doing his job. Just like he had done with who knows how many people before her. Like he had with Sam. His best friend.

She'd met Sam in the railway arms, and Annie too. They were happy, they were together. Listening to his stories of him and Gene and their seven years of working together had helped her. It had been like moving from one world to another and in truth she was tired of it. She just wanted to stay in one place, one world, one time. 1983.

"Me and you Bolly, we're a team."

"We've got scum to catch."

He raised an eyebrow. "Not posh girl speak that is it?"

"No." She agreed. "You're a bad influence on me clearly."

He chuckled. "Probably so."

They'd just moved away from each other when the double doors to the open plan office opened and Ray, Chris and Shaz entered.

"Good to be back." Ray remarked looking around to see if anything had changed much.

"If I'm back making tea and biscuits..." Shaz muttered under her breath and the two men laughed slightly.

"How are you Guv?" Chris asked.

Gene looked at Alex for a second before looking back at him. "Just grand Christopher."

"Thought you'd need a half decent team Guv." Ray explained.

Gene chuckled. "That I do." He looked at them all. All back together. He'd sent them away because it had been the right thing. Now here they all were. All wanting to come back. To stay. "But first a drink."

"What's become of Luigi then?" Alex asked as they all left the office.

"Well he was left some money from a relative and was all set for going back to Italy them changed his mind." Gene explained. "So for the past month I've had his pleasurable company to myself."

Alex laughed, pleased the owner of the bar was still there. She added Luigi to the list of things she'd missed about his place. She wondered if she'd get her flat back? She shook her head. Of all the things to be thinking about.

"Señorita Drake." Luigi beamed as she walked in behind Gene. He kissed her on both cheeks the busied himself getting drinks this would be the one and only time he didn't mind staying open too late.

All five says round a table.

"So what have you been doing without us, Guv?" Alex raised an eyebrow bringing her wine glass to her lips.

"This and that Drake." He smirked.

"Is this what it's gonna be like now wi' you two?" Ray looked between them lighting his cigarette.

"How'd you mean?" Alex questioned knowing full well what he meant.

"You two. Flirting."

"Not that they didn't do that before." Chris said under his breath.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Gene sighed before looking at Alex. Yes he did.

XxX

an: please review and make me smile haha . Where do you want this story to go? Xx


	4. Scum to catch

An: thanks for reading, not to keen on this chapter but here it is anyway xxxxx

Alex curled up on the sofa in her flat. Luigi let her move back straight away. That she was grateful for. It had been her home for a long time now. Everyone else had gone home. Almost as if nothing had ever happened. Nothing had changed. Gene had sent her to her flat telling her to sleep because he expected her and the others at the station by 8 the next morning. She smiled to herself. This was what she had missed. The Guv kept them all in line, kept them going. They were all separate pieces of a puzzle and now had found their way back together.

Sleep took over her quickly and when she woke to find herself tangled in a blanket on the sofa she smiled. Strangely this was the life she wanted now. Molly still was there in her thoughts but she'd had a lot of time to think, too long. She'd come to terms with the fact she wasn't going to see her daughter again.

She was surprised to find her clothes were still in the wardrobe. Good old Luigi.

Looking at herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair she took a deep breath.

Here we go Alex, new start.

Then she left locking the door behind her and silent fell over the flat as its occupant went to work with a spring in her step.

"I'm telling you, that's why they call it Shepard's pie." Ray tried to keep a deadly straight face as he convinced Chris they used to make Shepard'd pie out of real Shepards and still did in some places.

"That's sick." Chris groaned and Alex rolled her eyes going to sit at her desk wondering why the he fell for it every time. "Well I'm never eating that again."

Shaz walked over to Alex. "You want tea ma'am, just about to make some?"

"Thanks Shaz." Alex smiled. Yep. Things were definitely the way they used to be. Chris being a little dumb, Shaz being a life saver...Ray being Ray.

The phone rang and Alex answered. "DI Drake."

It was a PC calling about a murder, she took the details before getting up. "Forget the tea DC Granger." She smirked. "We've got work to do."

"Scum to catch Boll's?" Gene walked out of his shrugging on his coat.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Let's fire up the Quattro."

Alex looked at him confused. "Are you in denial about the death of your car? It was destroyed..."

"Went and got another one Boll's. Too good to change." He said before putting his hands on her shoulders and physically turning her around and giving her a bit of a shove.


End file.
